McGREGOR HOUSE

Portraits of Gregor McGregor and Annie Portia Fordtran McGregor, ca. 1870.
Winedale Photograph Collection

The McGregor House was built in 1861 by Gregor McGregor, a doctor and land speculator who came to Texas in 1852 and married Annie Portia Fordtran, daughter of wealthy German immigrant Charles Fordtran. McGregor's Greek Revival house reflects the conservative taste of a wealthy planter and features extensive interior decorations probably painted by the same artist who decorated the Wagner House. After 1873, the house became the residence of middle-class German farmers, and later became a tenant house, with hay stored in two rooms. Originally situated near the Wesley community in Washington County, the McGregor House was moved to Winedale in 1969. Miss Ima furnished the house with Texas-made furniture to represent the home of a wealthy German-American family of the 1860s.

Winedale curator Lonn Taylor (center left), architect and director Wayne Bell (center right), and students restoring the McGregor House, 1977.
Winedale Photograph Collection

Decorative lamp in McGregor House, photograph by Drew Patterson.
Winedale Photograph Collection

A worker applies graining to wall paint at the McGregor House, ca. 1970s.
Winedale Photograph Collection

WINEDALE SCHOOL

Restored Winedale School interior, ca. 1990s.
Winedale Photograph Collection

This one-room schoolhouse was built around 1894 a quarter mile northeast of its present location. The school served the predominantly German Winedale community both as an elementary school until 1943 and for Lutheran Church services until 1945. The building served as a hay barn before it was moved to its present location in 1992. Former Winedale students restored the school and donated it to the University of Texas at Austin in 1994.

Winedale students, 1943. Courtsey of Ruth Scholl.
Winedale Photograph Collection

View of restored Winedale School, photograph by Drew Patterson.
Winedale Photograph Collection

Winedale School with large porch and chimney, 1943. Courtsey of Ruth Scholl.
Winedale Photograph Collection

SPIES HOUSE

The building which presently houses the offices and information center at Winedale was built about 1930 by Alfred Wagner (1891-1956) for Adam and Christina Spies, the parents of his wife Lina Spies Wagner. The house was originally located near the Wagners' general store, until Ima Hogg had it moved to its present location to serve as the curator's office and visitor center. The house was extensively remodeled with the addition of a side porch, extended attic, and two dormers in the roof.

Spies family picnic at Warrenton, ca. 1920s. Courtsey of Lee Wagner.
Winedale Photograph Collection

View of Adam and Christina Spies house, 1936. Courtsey of Lee Wagner.
Winedale Photograph Collection

View of Spies House as the Winedale Visitors Center today.
Winedale Photograph Collection

JOSEPH BIEGEL HOUSE

Front view of Joseph Biegel House at Winedale.
Winedale Photograph Collection

Built in the 1830s by Joseph Biegel, Fayette County's first German settler, this cabin is a rare example of a log construction with full-dovetail cornering. Donated to Winedale by the John Schumacher family in 1976, the house was removed from the old Biegel Settlement near Halsted in Fayette County before the area was flooded by what is now Cedar Creek Reservoir. The interior of the Biegel House is not open to the public.

Biegel House in transit to Winedale, ca. 1976.
Winedale Photograph Collection

ORIGINAL LOCATIONS OF WINEDALE BUILDINGS

The Wagner House, the Wagner Dining Hall and Dormitory, the Theater Barn, and the Four-Square Barn are located on their original sites. (click for larger image)